Abstract: Shadow masks comprising a multi-layer membrane having a mechanical pre-bias that compensates the effect of gravity on the membrane are disclosed. A shadow mask in accordance with the present disclosure includes a membrane that is patterned with a desired pattern of apertures. The layers of the membrane are selected such that their residual stresses collectively give rise to a stress gradient that is directed normal to the plane of the membrane such that the stress gradient mitigates gravity-induced sag. In some embodiments, the membrane includes a layer pair having internal stresses that are of opposite signs to effect a tendency to bulge outward from the plane of the membrane prior to its release from the substrate. An exemplary membrane includes a layer pair comprising a layer of stoichiometric silicon dioxide that is under residual compressive stress and a layer of stoichiometric silicon nitride that is under residual tensile stress.

Abstract: An OLED display system is provided having visual performance pixel compensation for loss of brightness, including display pixels, where each display pixel has OLED subpixels and pixel drive circuitry; a sensing system having sensors and analog to digital conversion circuitry connected to each of the sensors, and a processor to provide an image data drive signal to each of the display pixels, receive the sensor signal from the ADC circuitry for each sensor, estimate a state of degradation of at least one of the display pixels, determine a drive-signal compensation for each display pixel having an estimated state of degradation and compensate the image data drive signal to each display pixel having an estimated state of degradation. Methods for compensating pixels for an image in a display are also provided.

Abstract: The present disclosure enables high-resolution direct patterning of a material on a substrate by establishing and maintaining a separation between a shadow mask and a substrate based on the thickness of a plurality of standoffs. The standoffs function as a physical reference that, when in contact between the substrate and shadow mask determine the separation between them. Embodiments are described in which the standoffs are affixed to an element selected from the shadow mask, the substrate, the mask chuck, and the substrate chuck.

Abstract: An OLED display system having compensation or loss of brightness is provided, including OLED-based display pixels, a sensing system having sensors, a processor having an LIA, an LPF, and analog to digital circuitry connected to each sensor and for providing a sensor signal for each sensor. The processor is adapted to apply a drive signal having a periodic signal to at least one OLED pixel in the display, receive the sensor signal, provide a primary frequency component from the sensor signals using the LIA based on the periodic signal, provide secondary frequency components from the sensor signals using the LPF, convert the secondary frequency components to a digital signal using the ADC, provide the digital signal to the processor as a sensing signal, and determine compensation for the drive signal. A method is also provided.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe systems, methods, and structures that provide organic light-emitting diodes having high luminous efficiency and low electrical dissipation. Embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure include a top electrode normally comprising a single film that includes a pair of metals and one metal compound, where the metals include a precious metal in combination with an alkaline earth metal or rare-earth metal and the metal compound is an alkali metal compound. As a result, such a top electrode has a work function that is better matched for efficient electron injection than magnesium-silver alloy-based transparent electrodes known in the prior art.

Abstract: A deposition system that mitigates feathering in a directly deposited pattern of organic material is disclosed. Deposition systems in accordance with the present disclosure include an evaporation source, an electrically conductive shadow mask, and an electrically conductive field plate. The source imparts a negative charge on vaporized organic molecules as they are emitted toward a target substrate. The source and substrate are biased to produce an electric field having field lines that extend normally between them. The shadow mask and field plate are located between the source and substrate and each functions as an electrostatic lens that directs the charged vapor molecules toward propagation directions aligned with the field lines as the charged vapor molecules approach and pass through them.

Abstract: A large area active-matrix organic light-emitting diode microdisplay and method for fabricating the same is provided which includes a panel having resolution of greater than 2,000 pixels per inch and a size of 1.4 or more inches for supporting the needs of virtual reality and augmented reality application.

Abstract: A vertically stacked pixel circuit is provided that includes a high voltage device for driving a pixel on an upper silicon layer, and low voltage circuitry (such as matrix addressing circuitry, data storage circuitry and uniformity compensation circuitry) on a lower silicon layer. The circuitry on the upper and lower silicon layers are electrically connected via a through-silicon via. This unique arrangement allows the high voltage device for driving a pixel to be physically located on top of the larger number of low voltage devices in the lower silicon layer in order to achieve a substantial reduction in overall pixel emission area. The vertically stacked pixel circuit is particularly suited for organic light-emitting diode microdisplays.

Abstract: A linear evaporation apparatus, system and method including a conductance chamber including a linear output section configured to emit a linear source deposition flux therethrough, an evaporative vapor communication conduit including an evaporative vapor mixing chamber and a plurality of crucible-receiving apertures at distal ends from the evaporative vapor mixing chamber, wherein the evaporative vapor mixing chamber is in communication with the conductance chamber and configured to transmit the linear source deposition flux therethrough, and a plurality of crucibles, each of the plurality of crucibles corresponding to one of the plurality of crucible-receiving apertures at the distal ends from the evaporative vapor mixing chamber, each of the plurality of crucibles configured to hold a material and heat the material to a corresponding material evaporation temperature, each of the plurality of crucibles further including a vapor pressure activated lid configured to open at a predetermined material vapor press

Abstract: A direct-deposition system forming a high-resolution pattern of material on a substrate is disclosed. Vaporized atoms from an evaporation source pass through a pattern of through-holes in a shadow mask to deposit on the substrate in the desired pattern. The shadow mask is held in a mask chuck that enables the shadow mask and substrate to be separated by a distance that can be less than ten microns. Prior to reaching the shadow mask, vaporized atoms pass through a collimator that operates as a spatial filter that blocks any atoms not travelling along directions that are nearly normal to the substrate surface. Vaporized atoms that pass through the shadow mask exhibit little or no lateral spread after passing through through-holes and the material deposits on the substrate in a pattern that has very high fidelity with the through-hole pattern of the shadow mask.

Abstract: An immersive headset device is provided that includes a display portion and a body portion. The display portion may include microdisplays having a compact size. The microdisplays may be movable (e.g., rotational) relative to the body portion and can be moved (e.g., rotated) between a flipped-up position and a flipped-down position. In some instances, when the microdisplays are flipped up, the headset provides an augmented reality (AR) mode to a user, and when the microdisplays are flipped down, the headset provide a virtual reality (VR) mode to the user. In certain implementations, the headset includes an electronics source module to provide power and/or signal to the microdisplays. The electronics source module can be attached to a rear of the body portion in order to provide advantageous weight distribution about the head of the user.

Abstract: In a method for designing and fabricating a micro-lens array, a design is finalized by varying certain features of a shadow mask, varying a distance between a source of lens-forming material and the shadow mask, and varying other parameters until the features and distances result in the formation of a micro-lens having desired shape, etc. A shadow mask in accordance with the design is then fabricated and is appropriately positioned with respect to a micro-display and a source of lens-forming material. A plume of lens-forming material is then generated under reduced pressure and which propagates toward the shadow mask, directly patterning the micro-lenses on sub-pixels of the micro-display.

Abstract: A shadow mask that includes compensation layer operative for at least partially correcting gravity-induced sag of a shadow-mask membrane is disclosed. The compensation layer is formed on a surface of the shadow-mask membrane such that the compensation layer is characterized by a residual stress that gives rise to a first bending moment in the membrane, where the first bending moment is directed in the opposite direction to a second bending moment in the membrane that is induced by the effect of gravity.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to systems, method, and structures including a high-resolution shadow mask with tapered aperture/pixel openings that advantageously overcomes problems plaguing the prior art namely shadowing, sagging, and fragility.

Abstract: Shadow masks comprising a multi-layer membrane having a mechanical pre-bias that compensates the effect of gravity on the membrane are disclosed. A shadow mask in accordance with the present disclosure includes a membrane that is patterned with a desired pattern of apertures. The layers of the membrane are selected such that their residual stresses collectively give rise to a stress gradient that is directed normal to the plane of the membrane such that the stress gradient mitigates gravity-induced sag. In some embodiments, the membrane includes a layer pair having internal stresses that are of opposite signs to effect a tendency to bulge outward from the plane of the membrane prior to its release from the substrate. An exemplary membrane includes a layer pair comprising a layer of stoichiometric silicon dioxide that is under residual compressive stress and a layer of stoichiometric silicon nitride that is under residual tensile stress.

Abstract: The present disclosure enables high-resolution direct patterning of a material on a substrate by establishing and maintaining a separation between a shadow mask and a substrate based on the thickness of a plurality of standoffs. The standoffs function as a physical reference that, when in contact between the substrate and shadow mask determine the separation between them. Embodiments are described in which the standoffs are affixed to an element selected from the shadow mask, the substrate, the mask chuck, and the substrate chuck.

Abstract: A vertically stacked pixel circuit is provided that includes a high voltage device for driving a pixel on an upper silicon layer, and low voltage circuitry (such as matrix addressing circuitry, data storage circuitry and uniformity compensation circuitry) on a lower silicon layer. The circuitry on the upper and lower silicon layers are electrically connected via a through-silicon via. This unique arrangement allows the high voltage device for driving a pixel to be physically located on top of the larger number of low voltage devices in the lower silicon layer in order to achieve a substantial reduction in overall pixel emission area. The vertically stacked pixel circuit is particularly suited for organic light-emitting diode microdisplays.

Abstract: A deposition system that mitigates feathering in a directly deposited pattern of organic material is disclosed. Deposition systems in accordance with the present disclosure include an evaporation source, an electrically conductive shadow mask, and an electrically conductive field plate. The source imparts a negative charge on vaporized organic molecules as they are emitted toward a target substrate. The source and substrate are biased to produce an electric field having field lines that extend normally between them. The shadow mask and field plate are located between the source and substrate and each functions as an electrostatic lens that directs the charged vapor molecules toward propagation directions aligned with the field lines as the charged vapor molecules approach and pass through them.

Abstract: A linear evaporation apparatus, system and method including a conductance chamber including a linear output section configured to emit a linear source deposition flux therethrough, an evaporative vapor communication conduit including an evaporative vapor mixing chamber and a plurality of crucible-receiving apertures at distal ends from the evaporative vapor mixing chamber, wherein the evaporative vapor mixing chamber is in communication with the conductance chamber and configured to transmit the linear source deposition flux therethrough, and a plurality of crucibles, each of the plurality of crucibles corresponding to one of the plurality of crucible-receiving apertures at the distal ends from the evaporative vapor mixing chamber, each of the plurality of crucibles configured to hold a material and heat the material to a corresponding material evaporation temperature, each of the plurality of crucibles further including a vapor pressure activated lid configured to open at a predetermined material vapor press

Abstract: An image rendering system comprising a pixel array and variable-density column and row scanner circuits is disclosed. The variable-density column and row scanner circuits enable software-based reconfiguration of the active display area within the available screen area of the display. In addition, a hardware restore-to-black function is provided that enables pixels outside of the desired image region to be driven to black without their requiring image data or excitation. As a result, the functionality of the functionality of the display can be reconfigured to match the desired image region on a frame-by-frame basis. Therefore, displays in accordance with the present invention can operate at higher frame rates and with less power consumption that prior-art displays.